Another clue that ‘inexpensive’ MacBooks will land soon

One of Apple’s manufacturing partners will enjoy a significant boost in the fourth quarter of 2018 as a result of the company’s new, “inexpensive notebooks.”

Quanta Computer has just been overtaken by Compal as the world’s top laptop manufacturer, but it will catch up this year as Apple prepares to deliver what will likely be a new MacBook Air.

Apple fans have been dreaming of a MacBook Air refresh, and it looks like we’ll finally get one this year. After reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo promised a new machine “with a lower price tag” for 2018, Apple’s supply chain has spilled some more information.

New MacBook Air expected this year

A report from Digitimes reveals that Apple supplier Quanta is expecting a significant boost in orders later this year as it starts manufacturing “Apple’s new inexpensive notebooks.”

Quanta is no longer the world’s biggest notebook manufacturer, but with shipments expected to rise above 10 million units in the fourth quarter, “its race with Compal will be much tighter,” the report adds.

We expect the new MacBook Air to finally get a Retina display and Intel’s latest processors, and to cost less than the existing model, which Apple still sells for $999. Kuo has previously stated that we can expect prices to start at around $799.

The new machine may also sport an updated design with butterfly keys, though if Apple is working to keep its price tag as low as possible, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the current MacBook Air’s design recycled for a little while longer.